Scottish first for business

An Aberdeenshire-based family enterprise has invested a four-figure sum in new machinery to produce Scotland’s only stoneground spelt flour.

Westfield Farms of Inverurie, which is owned by the Sorrie family who launched Ola Oils in 2008, has designed and built a bespoke de-hulling machine to diversify into spelt production.

John Sorrie, who has been running Westfield Farms, a 250-acre arable farm for 17 years, was inspired to grow and produce the new product due to the speciality flours stocked in the family’s retail business, The Green Grocer.

After researching growing the seed, Mr Sorrie discovered it was the perfect plant to survive the North-east’s harsh weather conditions. As it had never been grown in Scotland it was impossible to source, but enough genuine spelt seed was eventually sourced in Europe.

Mr Sorrie, who formerly worked as an engineer, took several months to design and build a bespoke de-hulling machineto remove the hull from the wholegrain, resulting in the naked grain being ready to grind into flour.

The grain, which is high in nutrients, protein and vitamin B, is grown and de-hulled on-site at Westfield Farm on a plot spanning more than 20-acres, before being stoneground at Golspie Mill, the only remaining traditional water powered mill in mainland Scotland.

Just six months of being harvested, the spelt won best new retail product at the 2017 North East Scotland Food and Drink awards in March.